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The film marked director Martha Coolidge's first commercial feature production, and was made for less than $1 million, according to a 5 May 1983 LAT article.
According to a 17 Jan 1983 DV news item, Pumpko Industries, musician Frank Zappa's company, filed a $100,000 suit against the production to prevent its release, claiming "false designation of origin, unfair competition, and dilution of trademark." Zappa’s daughter, Moon Unit Zappa, recorded the hit song “Valley Girl” on Frank Zappa’s 1982 album Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch . A 12 May 1983 LAT article entitled “’Valley Girl’ – Era or Fad – Lives on in Merchandising,” discusses the fad set off by Zappa’s song. In the year following its release, “Valley Girl” inspired books, buttons, a clothing store, and, arguably, Coolidge’s film. However, according to LAT , a judge ruled against Frank Zappa’s lawsuit in March 1983, asserting “there would be no confusion in the public’s mind between the song and the film."
The film grossed $1 million in its first weekend, according to LAT . Critics generally found the film likeable. Var praised Martha Coolidge’s thoughtful direction, saying the film showed “the clear imprint of its female director…the end result is far superior to the usual teen sexploitation picture cranked out by a lot of leering males.”
According to an 18 Jul 1984 Var article, Coolidge, actress Lee Purcell, who performed the role of “Beth Brent,” actress Colleen Camp, who played “Sarah Richman,” and director of photography Frederick Elmes filed a joint suit against Atlantic Releasing Company for $5 million. The ...
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The film marked director Martha Coolidge's first commercial feature production, and was made for less than $1 million, according to a 5 May 1983 LAT article.
According to a 17 Jan 1983 DV news item, Pumpko Industries, musician Frank Zappa's company, filed a $100,000 suit against the production to prevent its release, claiming "false designation of origin, unfair competition, and dilution of trademark." Zappa’s daughter, Moon Unit Zappa, recorded the hit song “Valley Girl” on Frank Zappa’s 1982 album Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch . A 12 May 1983 LAT article entitled “’Valley Girl’ – Era or Fad – Lives on in Merchandising,” discusses the fad set off by Zappa’s song. In the year following its release, “Valley Girl” inspired books, buttons, a clothing store, and, arguably, Coolidge’s film. However, according to LAT , a judge ruled against Frank Zappa’s lawsuit in March 1983, asserting “there would be no confusion in the public’s mind between the song and the film."
The film grossed $1 million in its first weekend, according to LAT . Critics generally found the film likeable. Var praised Martha Coolidge’s thoughtful direction, saying the film showed “the clear imprint of its female director…the end result is far superior to the usual teen sexploitation picture cranked out by a lot of leering males.”
According to an 18 Jul 1984 Var article, Coolidge, actress Lee Purcell, who performed the role of “Beth Brent,” actress Colleen Camp, who played “Sarah Richman,” and director of photography Frederick Elmes filed a joint suit against Atlantic Releasing Company for $5 million. The group claimed they were owed a portion of the film's profits based on previous contractual agreements.
An 18 Jul 2008 DV article announced that MGM was developing a musical remake of the film.

The summary and note for this entry was completed with participation from the AFI Academic Network. Summary and note were written by participant Adam Tate, a student at the University of Texas at Austin, with Janet Staiger as academic advisor. MoreLess

Teenager Julie Richman lives in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles County. At the Sherman Oaks Galleria, Julie shops with her friends Loryn, Stacey, and Suzi. Julie admits that she is tired of her boyfriend, Tommy, and would rather date Brad. On the escalator, Julie runs into Tommy and breaks up with him. When she returns his bracelet, Tommy warns that she will want him back. Later, at the beach, Loryn tells a friend about Suzi’s party that evening and Fred, a punk from Hollywood, overhears the address. As his friend Randy emerges from the ocean, the valley girls admire his body and Fred runs to tell him about the party. That night, Julie and Stacey dress in Julie’s bedroom and discuss Loryn’s self-proclaimed sexual prowess. Stacey warns Julie against flirting with Brad because Tommy will be at the party, but Julie is determined to make a connection with her latest infatuation. As the girls leave, Julie's parents, Steve and Sarah Richman, reminisce about being hippies. Julie talks to Brad at Suzi’s party, but he is unresponsive and Tommy reminds her that she'll soon be back with him. Meanwhile, Suzi tells her mother, Beth Brent, about her crush on Skip. Upstairs, Tommy waits for Loryn at the bathroom door and lures her into the bedroom. When Randy and Fred arrive at the party and hesitantly walk inside, Randy notices Julie. The boys’ punk style distinguishes them from the crowd of preppy valley teenagers. Randy encourages Fred to pursue Stacey while he approaches Julie. She is surprised to learn that Randy was the ...
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Teenager Julie Richman lives in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles County. At the Sherman Oaks Galleria, Julie shops with her friends Loryn, Stacey, and Suzi. Julie admits that she is tired of her boyfriend, Tommy, and would rather date Brad. On the escalator, Julie runs into Tommy and breaks up with him. When she returns his bracelet, Tommy warns that she will want him back. Later, at the beach, Loryn tells a friend about Suzi’s party that evening and Fred, a punk from Hollywood, overhears the address. As his friend Randy emerges from the ocean, the valley girls admire his body and Fred runs to tell him about the party. That night, Julie and Stacey dress in Julie’s bedroom and discuss Loryn’s self-proclaimed sexual prowess. Stacey warns Julie against flirting with Brad because Tommy will be at the party, but Julie is determined to make a connection with her latest infatuation. As the girls leave, Julie's parents, Steve and Sarah Richman, reminisce about being hippies. Julie talks to Brad at Suzi’s party, but he is unresponsive and Tommy reminds her that she'll soon be back with him. Meanwhile, Suzi tells her mother, Beth Brent, about her crush on Skip. Upstairs, Tommy waits for Loryn at the bathroom door and lures her into the bedroom. When Randy and Fred arrive at the party and hesitantly walk inside, Randy notices Julie. The boys’ punk style distinguishes them from the crowd of preppy valley teenagers. Randy encourages Fred to pursue Stacey while he approaches Julie. She is surprised to learn that Randy was the boy she saw on the beach that afternoon. Meanwhile, Loryn asks Tommy if they will be a couple because of the romantic interlude at Suzi's party and he criticizes her for betraying Julie. Tommy tells Loryn that he won’t disclose her disloyalty if she keeps the affair a secret. Back at the party, Tommy notices Randy flirting with Julie and starts a fight. When Fred and Randy are thrown out, Randy sees Julie watching from the window. As they drive away, Randy insists that he and Fred return to the party. Randy sneaks back in through the bathroom window and hides in the shower. In time, Julie uses the bathroom to apply makeup and Randy invites her to go for a ride. She agrees but insists on bringing Stacey. As Randy drives over the mountain to Hollywood, Stacey protests and insists that Julie keep their date with the punks a secret. At Fred and Randy’s hangout, a seedy club, the teens discuss the differences between suburban life in the valley and the less affluent, urban culture of Hollywood. Julie admits to feeling an emotional connection to Randy and they kiss. Later, as Randy and Julie make out in the car on Mulholland Drive, Fred chases Stacey. When Randy insists on seeing Julie the following day, she is embarrassed to admit that she works at her parents’ health food restaurant. Julie returns home at dawn, but Steve and Sarah unconvincingly claim they are not upset. During a driver's education class at school, Julie tells Loryn and Suzi about her evening with Randy, and Stacey is furious. As Julie becomes distracted from the driving course, the instructor leaps from the car. Julie’s friends warn that her reputation will be threatened if she dates outside of their social circle. Meanwhile, Skip delivers groceries to Beth. She attempts to seduce her daughter’s love interest, but says that Suzi will be home soon and suggests they meet again. Randy pays Julie a surprise visit at work and they leave for a date in the valley. Randy and Julie soon fall in love. At school, Tommy seeks out Loryn, Suzi, and Stacey to inquire about Julie’s recent preoccupation. He suggests that they pressure Julie into breaking up with Randy. That night at Suzi’s slumber party, the girls caution Julie that she will lose her popularity because of Randy. Later, Julie asks her father for advice. Steve shows Julie photographs of himself as a hippie and says that the way people look is less important than who they are inside. Torn between her love for Randy and her social life, Julie decides to appease her friends and break up with Randy. She announces her decision at a coffee shop, but Loryn is less enthusiastic than Suzi and Stacey because of her experience with Tommy. Just then, Tommy passes their table and the girls leave Julie alone with him. She tells Tommy that her relationship with Randy has ended and he gives her his bracelet to confirm their renewed commitment. That night, Randy arrives at Julie's house unannounced and she turns him away. Realizing that Julie has been overcome by her friends’ desire for conformity, Randy becomes enraged and returns to Hollywood. In a drunken stupor, he makes love with a former girlfriend at the club. Later, Randy provokes a fight with gangsters. When Fred finds his friend beaten in an alleyway, he encourages Randy to pursue Julie. Over the next several weeks, Randy shows Julie his determination with a series of surprise encounters, but she is not swayed. Back on Mulholland Drive overlooking the valley, Randy is desperate and Fred offers to devise a plan for revenge on Tommy. Some time later, Skip returns to the Brent household and finds Suzi in her mother’s shower. Beth catches them making love in her bedroom. On prom night, Tommy picks up Julie in a limousine and Steve smokes marijuana to relieve his anxiety. Fred and Randy secretly watch as the event begins, but when Randy asks Fred to reveal his strategy for the evening, his friend admits that he has nothing more planned. As Tommy and Julie wait backstage to be announced prom king and queen, Randy punches Tommy. The boys continue to fight while the music cues the prom king and queen to accept their honor. After Randy subdues Tommy, he escorts Julie off stage. Tommy runs after them, but Julie throws a paper plate of food in his face, inciting a food fight. Randy and Julie run outside and jump into Tommy’s limousine. As they drive away, Julie tosses Tommy's bracelet out the window.+−

Seventy-year-old newspaper tycoon Charles Foster Kane dies in his palatial Florida home, Xanadu, after uttering the single word “Rosebud.” While watching a newsreel summarizing the years during which Kane ... >>

The American Film Institute is grateful to Sir Paul Getty KBE and the Sir Paul Getty KBE Estate for their dedication to the art of the moving image and their support for the
AFI Catalog of Feature Films and without whose support AFI would not have been able to achieve this historical landmark in this epic scholarly endeavor.